Weight will be an issue from a lap time perspective, 4 wheel steer gives the obvious benefit but at a weight cost, and the new Megane is already a longer wheelbase than the mk3 It all suggests as rumoured a 9/10ths everyday model aimed at everyday road use and a 'trophy' model with more power and lighter weight following the .R philosophy
Nothing that VW and Honda had to do from the early design phase and reveals to take the Ring record. So far, it's just a pumped up GT.
Yeah not feeling it from that angle, colour doesn't help either - needs gloss black handles and b pillar. Missing the skirts seen on the Monaco car though. I've booked to go the Frankfurt now anyway as fancy seeing the car show, if the Megane is there it'll be a bonus as I need to see it in the flesh I think.
Bland. Golf R wannabe. Getting deja vu. Clio 200T launch. The series of disappointments. Come on Renault.
People seem to be making a lot of assumptions about this car, based on little more than some pictures of a couple of pre-production demo cars and very little information. We barely know anything about it in reality. Will wait until we get some technical information before making any real judgements. Where's that picture from Jamie? The problem is, people want bland, except they call it "understated" or "grown-up". Your average hot hatch buyer seems quite happy with something that isn't shouty or over the top, hence cars like the Golf R being so desirable to so many people. It's no surprise that Renault are looking for something with broader appeal. Us stuck-in-our-ways enthusiasts aren't where the money is.
This is the problem. Most car owners these days are dead behind the eyes and have no balls. They all want power with no substance or styling. Tossers! As much as the Honda is an acquired taste I commend their engineers for not giving a F and designing an obnoxious asbo racer. Fair play. Saying that I do quite like the golf gti clubsport in three door with the 19" wheels it looks hard. Hopefully the megane will look good when finalised. I certainly really love the look of the clio so we shall see. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Golf R 7.5 facelift is a bit if a beast out of the packet. I test drove one a few weeks back and went as far as placing an order and agreed sale of mine, only to back out after a spirited burst in mine on the way home, as it would give me no more enjoyment than the Meg. The rate it puts on speed and its cornering ability is immense. Granted the styling it plain, but I like it. And lets be honest the Mk3 is no good looker. The pre-face lift being the best. Its all about the drive not the looks.
The Golf R also sells due to the great finance and lease deals. Perceived premium product. The RS Clio has increased sales because it has been released into new markets, not because it has inspired traditional or new buyers. The Megane needs to be more than another Clio effort. Honda and others are doing it and Renault need to find the middle ground of performance, value with a re visit of what made Renaultsport popular before it lost its way. Ask Ford why the Fiesta ST sells so well. Simple concept.
The great deals help the ST sell, as well as it being a great car, Megane will need to at least match others finance/lease deals, regardless of how good it turns out to be.
Having come from a Golf R to the Megane, the premium quality is much more than just a perception in my view. Yes, the Megane is, ultimately, slightly sharper, but the Golf is such a well-polished machine by comparison. When it comes to all the normal stuff like practicality, switchgear, all the boring stuff, the Germans are streets ahead. To the vast majority of people, that's more important than that last 5% of driving perfection. And sadly, badges matter to a lot of people. Sadly a Renault is always going to struggle in the lease market because their residuals are so poor.
All that is well observed as the issues. Where Renaultsport should be heading is the problem and trying to emulate VW isn't the solution. The Clio has proved that. Let's see what the final package is and if there is a return to the Renaultsport value for money drivers car that have a touch of uniqueness, bit of motorsport heritage and something that also appeals to a wider age group.
The thing is a megane 3 is bloody amazing even compared against modern more expensive cars. That's why they're so good. Hopefully the new one offers the same performance Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I wonder if they fixed the thing that annoys me most about the mk3, the boot opening. Massive car, you can fit an absolute crap ton of stuff in it but the boot opening is a pita. Family have a couple of Golfs and they load up much easier. Can't get excited about this new one at all though. 300bhp? meh already got that. Rear wheel steer? no ta. EDC? again meh, I don't like dual clutch boxes as good as they are these days the ZF stuff is better imo If the interior is anything like the GT I've been in then their designers must be blind. That or they put the prototype team on it as that tablet in the middle of the dash and the surround show finger prints and smudges all over it without even going near it. They got lost somewhere choosing materials. Have a feeling it may be a flop at least in the UK, maybe they'll sell well in OZ and Europe.
I think you're going to be proved right. You won't see any of these on the UK roads, just like you don't see any mk4 Clio RS's on the road, relatively speaking. After this iteration, I wouldn't be surprised if Renault pull the RS brand from the UK entirely due to low sales. I look at this and see Mazda MPS 3/5, and as I do with those cars, just think dull, dull, dull. We may well all want a hard-core, track ready drivers car (and that is what the specific RS engineers try to deliver) but the board will chase sales figures.
They sure will. Mostly because Renault is a business, not a charity. Why would they build a hardcore driver's car that would only sell 50% as many units as a slightly less focused version? As much as it upsets us fuddy-duddy enthusiasts, the cars we want are not what most car buyers want, so it shouldn't surprise anyone if Renault ignore what we want.
Optimistic - "disposed to take a favourable view and to expect the most favourable outcome" Keep your faith. What you see is what you are going to get. If Renault had something special they would have teased it out at Monaco.
I like what I see so far. Not going to judge it until I've driven it though, pretty pointless to do so for me as it's all about the way these cars drive. If it's not as good to drive as my Cup-S I'll not get one, and will keep the Cup-S or look elsewhere.
Had a look at a Megane GT and it's a big old lump. They are going to have their work cut out to make the RS fly. It's going to need lots of investment in getting the weight down and no sign of that in the release so far. Some nice features on it like the lights but the thing is very awkward looking overall, doesn't flow as a design and the size of that front Ren badge.... Looks and image are important in this sector. Not sure the new one is going to crack that aspect.
Im still not sure on this either but not going to judge until it is out and in full production, As GTMegane said, its a first edition of the car they will change so much before release and when they do there will be big changes, from what the Trophy-R did round nurburgring they know that bringing out a 5 door car is going to do nothing but make it heavier which fair enough they are compensating the 300bhp with but that's still not going to make it the fastest, I recon that they will release a 5 door first gen and in 3 years bring out a 3dr they would be stupid not too
Like they done with the Clio? I doubt we will see a 3 Dr Megane again, the market has moved on now. Not to mention they have Alpine coming back now. For anyone who wants a sporty car with less doors.
What will the new RS version weigh and what will the difference be between it and the old version? What power / LSD set up will it have? Power to weight v previous version? Damping? Will it have 4 wheel steer? No conjecture here whatsoever............. Look at the difference between the R26 and the Megane 250 - 275. The 250 probably looked like a lump initially? Looks subjective. IMO the demo at Monaco looks just as good as the current 275, far fresher will have a much better interior too.
The 250 was only 35 kg heavier than the R26. The Megane GT is already 83 kg heavier than a 250 and that is not the RS version. No sign of lighter body work or interior weight saving on the release. Even the official Renault Monaco press release was tellingly subdued. The 3 door MK3 RS was, and still is, a sharp design. The current 5 door Megane is a car appealing more to older people who go to National Trust properties to eat cake. Renault in general have now adopted a very conservative, bordering on the boring design philosophy. Most of the competition have a sharper, more edgy and modern design strategy. Even Honda are moving out of the blue rinse market. It will have 4WS. Power to weight TBC. Damping TBC.
Can't see Renault making a 3dr Megane. If they were, they would have held the RS back until they did. There just isn't the market for 3dr hatches in this segment. If there was, most manufacturers wouldn't have dropped them. As for anything about the spec or the way it drives, I think we're wasting our breath until things are confirmed.
how can you tell how much it weighs and what weight saving measures the interior has when there's only been a few pictures released
Some had decided that they were not going to like it before it was even revealed. Likely to find fault with every single announcement or piece of info regardless. Until there is info, they'll just guess and make things up, generally in a negative manner. Once there is info they'll either slate it and whip themselves into an "I told you so" frenzy or disappear for a while, reappearing two years later to tell everyone they have just bought the new RS and desperately hoping that nobody remembers that they claimed they hated everything about it not so long ago....... Cars can encourage strangely irrational emotions.
Three doors cars are dead unfortunately. I actually detest five door cars and don't know why companies are obsessed with making them when most people never actually carry anyone else but themselves in the car 99% of the time. Look around you on the motorways and you'll find that almost every single car is occupied by a single human without passengers. Pointless, but that's just my take. Even if you carry passengers on a weekend a three door would do. No need to make every single car five door. It's a shame as it makes the design look pants. Focus RS would've looked so much better in three same as this megane, the merc amg a45 etc etc Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A lot of people have already declared their firm dislike. I'm more open and hope it drives better than it looks. Fact is the car has been revealed, detailed photos produced, the GT base car is well known and nothing special is obvious on a car virtually finalised and 4 months from production. Plenty of firm info to comment on. Obviously, people that still think a Clio 200T is a great car, great deal and convieniently ignore the tide of criticism will like it regardless. A sort of blinkered optimism detached from reality. This is a make or break car for the Renaultsport brand which has slowly been on the decline. It needs to seriously compete with similar priced rivals that have moved the game on. Let's hope it does, but the signs aren't positive so far.
Eveytime a new mk comes out I see this, I saw it on the mk3, now the mk4, I've also seen it across the Clio mk's. In the end people still love them no matter what their original thoughts, this will be no different.
Not driven in any real anger I guess makes it seem dull. Still hear the limiter beep mind. Only bit of interest was 1:02 up the hill and 2:12 where it looked/sounded to have good traction
Yep, didn't want it rammed into a barrier. Nice close up of that sunroof you mentioned. Can't beat a bit of extra weight nice and high up.
To be fair it sounds pretty good inside and I bet it's quicker than it looks in that video. I have a feeling this version will be more Germanic in its efficiency and speed compared to the MK 3. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
